Land O’ Lakes Sinkhole: 6 Homes Condemned

LAND O’ LAKES, FL — Two more property owners learned on Sunday that their homes are no longer safe due to the recent expansion of a sinkhole that opened up on Ocean Pines Drive in Land O’ Lakes in July. Pasco County’s decision to condemn the two homes brings the number of properties deemed a total loss to six.

The homes condemned on Sunday are located at 21748 Ocean Pines Drive and 3153 Canal Place, according to an email from the county. Two homes along Ocean Pines Drive were also condemned on Aug. 5 after the sinkhole expanded by an estimated 30 feet between Thursday night and Saturday morning. The four new condemnations add to the original two homes destroyed when the sinkhole opened up and swallowed them on July 14.

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As of Aug. 5, the county said the sinkhole had grown to about 260 feet in width at its widest point over the past few days. It previously measured between 225 and 235 feet.

Work to clean up and stabilize the area continues, county spokesman Doug Tobin wrote in an email to media. On Saturday, 55 dump trucks of lime rock were delivered to the site while five semi-truck loads of debris were removed. Tobin said debris removal continued on Sunday.

Lime and boulders were being brought in to help stabilize one side of the sinkhole to “create a boat ramp, slope it so we can get a small float barge and get into the sink hole, instead of working from sides,” Tobin said on Saturday.

As the recovery effort continues, the county has placed four safety officers around the sinkhole to monitor for any changes, Tobin added. “If anything should change, we will notify neighbors door-to-door if they need to evacuate.” Residents are advised to watch out for heavy trucks in the neighborhood. Those in need of help may call United Way at 211.

The sinkhole in question opened up behind a home at 21825 Ocean Pines Drive shortly before 7:21 a.m. July 14. Pasco County Fire Rescue crews arrived on the scene at 7:36 a.m. and reported a depression about the size of a “small pool.”

The hole, however, continued to expand, eventually demolishing the homes at 21825 and 21835 Ocean Pines Drive. A boat on the property at 21825 Ocean Pines Drive was also destroyed when the sinkhole first opened. The hole was estimated to be about 225 feet in diameter and about 50 feet deep before it started expanding over the past few days.

More information on the recovery efforts can be found on the county’s website.

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Photo courtesy of the Pasco County